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ARCHITECTURE, TOURISM AND HOUSING: OHANEZE NDIGBO YOUTH

CENTRE FOR CULTURAL EDIFICATION

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 ARCHITECTURE, TOURISM AND HOUSING: OHANEZE NDIGBO YOUTH CENTRE
FOR CULTURAL EDIFICATION

Ihekuna, Chinonye Prisca; Johnson, Jessica Ogechi; Onwumere, Basilia O.; Obiadi, Bons
and Onuorah, I. M.

Abstract:
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is an apex Igbo socio-cultural group in Nigeria. The group represents all Igbo
communities within and outside Nigeria. The Igbos are the second largest group of people living in
southern Nigeria and devastated by the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 also known as the Biafran War.
Following the civil war, the need for a voice for Ndigbo arose and that gave birth to Ohaneze Indigbo.
Ohaneze Ndigbo, an umbrella organization of Ndigbo has been in existence for over three decades and
without a well developed youth organization and a development center. It is the interest of this paper to
bring and create awareness to the need, to establish and build a well deserving Ohanaeze Ndigbo youth
development centre for the youths of the Idigbo. This paper investigated and documented the history
and none preservation of Ndigbo history and tradition because of inappropriate museum centers in
southeast region as a result, adopted content base analysis that laid emphasized on the opinions of
previous studies by different authors. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo youths, need to keep growing along with
their heritage and traditional values hence, the need for a well developed centre, to be established and
build for them. They should be encouraged to pay attention to their historical past through preservation
of their records and activities in a museum setup and tourism development.

Key words: Enugu, Biafran war, history, growth, architecture, preservation

Background
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the apex Igbo socio-cultural the government's fear and suspicion of their
organization in Nigeria. The group represents all intention. Hence, the creation of Ohanaeze
the Igbo within and outside Nigeria. The Igbo, it is Ndigbo, in 1976. Professor Ben Nwabueze, a
believed, make up one of the three largest ethnic foremost constitutional lawyer, assembled
groups in Nigeria. Although the group is not a prominent Igbo leaders to form the organization
political party, part of the objectives of its creation of which he emerged the Secretary-General
spanning a period of 20 years (Ohaneze Ndigbo,
is to foster unity among its members in order to
2021).
ensure a pride of place within the country,
The Igbo are the second largest group of people
Nigeria. After the Nigerian civil war, some
living in southern Nigeria. They are socially and
prominent Igbo gathered to proclaim the need to
culturally diverse consisting of many
unify Ndi Igbo under a common umbrella body.
subgroups. They are found in south-eastern
This initiative was much welcomed considering
Nigeria and have many interesting customs and
maximum displacement of the Igbos during the
traditions. With a population of around 40
Nigerian civil war and its aftermath. An
million people throughout Nigeria, they are one
organizational assembly was created, referred to
of the biggest and most influential tribe.
as the Igbo National Assembly (INA). This
Equally, they are well known for their
organization was later banned by the Federal
entrepreneurial endeavors (Adejoke, 2018).
Military Government at the time, probably due to
1
1
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka,
Anambra State, Nigeria.
 Tropical Built Environment Journal (TBEJ) Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021
Traditionally, the Igbo people are mostly farmers,
craftsmen and traders, the evidence of crafts and
metalwork were found in archaeological
discoveries and documentation all over the world.
Their contributions in Nigeria are astonishing and
they have contributed to the country's resources
with great emphases in socio-cultural gains and
potentials to transform the country's socio-cultural
and economic growth to benefit the people
(Chukwu, 2005).
Conflicts and tensions in a country may result in
clashes and war. Nigeria experienced the effects of
such tension through the Nigerian Civil War also
known as the Biafra War. Following the
independence of Nigeria from the United
Kingdom in 1960, most of Igbo land was included
in its Eastern Region. The Nigerian eastern region,
proclaimed themselves, the Republic of Biafra.
The proclamation of Biafra was as a result of
political conflicts, injustice in the distribution of
the economy of the country, cultural and religious
tensions mainly between the Hausa of the north
and the Igbo of the east of Nigeria. It began in July
1967 and ended in January 1970 (Chuka, 2018).
Following the civil war, the need for a voice for
Ndigbo arose. Some prominent Igbo came
together for the need to unify Ndigbo under a
common umbrella body. This initiative was
welcomed considering maximum displacement of
the Igbo during the war and its aftermath (Onu,
2009). The unification effort resulted in the birth
of the organization known and called, Ohaneze
Ndigbo (Aguomba, 2010).
Ohaneze Ndigbo, as the umbrella organization of
Ndigbo has been in existence for over three
decades having assumed most of the unifying and
progressive objects and guiding philosophy of the
now defunct Igbo State Union, which are relevant
in today's Nigerian environment. It was
established to promote Igbo unity and to present a
common front to fight the course of Ndigbo, and
above all to ensure that they attain and maintain
2
their own rightful position and status in
Nigerian enterprises (Irukwu, 2004).
When its constitution was amended in 1999, it
brought about the creation of both the youths
and its women wing, which is now called the
Ohaneze Youth Council. The youth wing was
created with the aim of promoting, uplifting and
unifying Ndigbo youths at the grass root level
and help tackle challenges in carrying out their
duties, but without a center of their own, for all
their activities both social and cultural. The
Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth wing has no particular
Centre or headquarters which accommodates
their activities (Gabriel, 2017). With the fast
changing socio-cultural situation in Nigeria and
the world as a whole and bracing the new trend
in diversification and loss of one's cultural
heritage, the technology age has brought high-
mobility and accessibility to humanity.
Although as a side effect, it has broken the
communities that had once commonality of
identity, behaviour and manner neglecting also
the cultural aspect. Thus, a solution to these
loosely tied and unevenly provided for groups
in the cities was through architecture which can
act as an adhesive matter by creating spaces that
are appealing and need- responsive to bring
people together (Sena, 2019).
The youth center is a meeting place for young
people in which they can plan and conduct their
own progressive programmes, giving them the
feeling of companionship, a sense of belonging,
an opportunity for utilizing excess energy, an
increased knowledge of how to use leisure time
and most importantly, an opportunity to be of
service to their communities (Lubbock, 1958).
The need to preserve the culture and heritage of
the group would require a centre where both
meetings and preservations will be taking place.
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artef-
 Architecture, Tourism and Housing: Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center for Culture Edification
acts and intangible attributes of a group or society
that are inherited from past generations,
maintained in the present and bestowed for the
benefit of future generations. Cultural heritage
includes tangible culture such as buildings,
monuments, landscapes, books, works of art and
artefacts. It also includes intangible cultural
traditional or living expressions inherited from
their ancestors and passed on to their descendants
such as oral traditions, performing arts, rituals etc.
(Mimar, 2014). The preservation of the cultural
heritage of the Igbo will go a long way not only in
keeping the integrity of the people, but also,
transferring their wealth of knowledge and skills
from one generation to another. Thus, the need for
the preservation of the cultural heritage of Ndigbo
in a museum setting.
The Youth
Since the youths are one of the important
population groups in terms of building up the
society and moving the world forward, they
should be given enough facility to do so. Although
youths at different parts of the world are brought
up differently according to culture and the social
norms that are present at individual places, the
basic idea of youths is always the same
irrespective of their community and surroundings.
The way every individual youth is brought up
should have the same social values and wisdoms
given to them by their peers. Be it the Western
developed world or the Eastern developing
countries, youths collectively at every place are
important to advance the world in a positive way
(Lee-Anne, 2013).
Youth, as a concept varies from culture to culture
and from society to society. In most societies in
Nigeria, the progression from childhood to youth
involves some systematic rites of passage. These
rites have symbolic significance in that, simply by
participating in them, an individual achieves a
new status and position. Such new status gains
validity through genuine community action and
recognition. One thing is clear, the boundaries
defining the transition from childhood to youth
3
and from youth to adulthood are shifting, and the
crossover into each new stage is now manifested
in different ways. The changes that young
people must negotiate do not occur as
predictably as in the past. Therefore, defining
youth globally according to some exact age
range can be a very difficult task. The age range
15-24 is used by the United Nations and others
for statistical purposes, but in many cases this
distinction is too narrow for countries like
Nigeria. Apart from the statistical definition of
the term “youth”, the meaning of the term
“youth” has continued to change in response to
fluctuating political, economic and socio-
cultural circumstances. In many countries in
Africa, for example, the male transition to
adulthood, in terms of achieving the economic
and social stability that comes with steady
employment, may extend into late twenties and
mid-thirties (National Youth Policy, 2009).
According to the National Youth Policy of
Nigeria (2009), the age group between 18-35
years are called “Youth”. They are the most
energetic and productive segment of the total
population in Nigeria. Therefore, the national
development mostly depends on their working
spirit and initiatives. In Pittman's research, he
defined youth as the ongoing growth process in
which all youth are engaged in attempting to
meet their basic personal and social needs to be
safe, feel cared for, be valued, be useful, and be
spiritually grounded, and to build skills and
competencies that allow them to function and
contribute in their daily lives. As the definition
implies, it is a process or journey that
automatically involves all of the people around a
youth-family and community. A young person
will not be able to build essential skills and
competencies and to be able to feel safe; cared
for, valued, useful, and spiritually grounded
unless their family and community provide
them with the supports and opportunities they
need along the way. Hence, youth development
is also a process in which family and community
must and should actively participate to build up
the future generation. And to accompany this
 Tropical Built Environment Journal (TBEJ) Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021
vital process we also need to give them the space
they need and crave themselves. It should be the
ultimate zone for the youths to express their views,
go free and wild with different events and
understand the meaning of togetherness in the
society (Samuel, 2013), hence, the need for the
Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center. The center will be
a place where youths from all over the world will
come to learn and understand the Igbo culture and
tradition and at the same time house their cultural
heritage for generations to come, that is museum.
The Museum
A museum is an institution that collects, studies,
exhibits and conserves artifacts or objects for
cultural and educational purposes (Okpoko,
2011). Nigeria has many cultural centers and
museums employing a lot of people, but because
of poor development and emphasis in the cultural
and museum centers, they seem to attract low
income workers with very low-income generating
capacities. Different museums and potential
historical sites across Nigeria are veritable centers
for tourists' attraction, but not have been
developed. They can be good sources of revenue
and employment generations if well developed. In
the western countries, visits to museum and
historical sites are a regular activity and a big
enterprise. Thousands of people spend their hard
earned resources in scrambling for tickets to enter
museums or buy some artefacts for home and
office decorations. Thus, in countries like the
USA, Brazil, India, China, Israel, Egypt, France,
Italy, Germany, Coasta Rica and Saudi Arabia,
eco-cultural tourism is striving very well due to the
contributions of museum, cultural fiestas and
historical sites (Obiadi et al, 2020). They have
developed into tourist attractions and attracting
millions of people to the sites every year.
Tourism in Nigeria is still in its infancy and could
contribute maximally to the national economy as a
major earner like the petroleum and the
agricultural sectors of the economy. This is to be
4
achieved through the appraisal of the tourism
resources of the nation and the combination of
both natural and human capacities to transform
the industry into a job creating and foreign
exchange earner that will meet the socio-
economic wellbeing of the nation at large
(Obiadi et al, 2020).
On his part, Fasuyi advocates help to build up an
appreciation of old things; do not be afraid of
them; Respect the past; record its history;
treasure its sign posts and help to build museums
in Nigeria. The day may come he noted when
people will voyage from all parts of the world to
see the museums and exhibition rooms in Lagos,
Abeokuta, Ife and Benin City (Fasuyi, 1973). To
be included in these cultural and museum
centers, this paper calls for the Ohaneze Ndigbo
Youth Ceenter where the Igbo culture and
tradition would be preserved. Ohaneze Ndigbo
is a big institution, but lacks a physical structure
for both the youth empowerment and historical
preservations and have caused considerable
public concerns and so the need for museum
centers across the Igbo land.
To effectively confront the challenges of
preserving the culture and tradition of the Igbo
people, including the activities of youths of the
Ohaneze Ndigbo, there is need for the
establishment of the Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth
Centre and to be strategically located in Enugu,
the known seat of power of the Igbo people
before and after the Nigeria civil war, and to
encourage tourism development and promotion
in Enugu.
Tourism
In line with the classifications of tourism
centers, Ukpere and Wabah (2018), indicated
that cultural festivals' (social or religious) are
the very joyous celebration or occasions
displaying certain attributes of our rich cultural
heritage. They are very entertaining, educative
 Architecture, Tourism and Housing: Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center for Culture Edification
and informative. They are often held monthly,
annually, by-annually or after five to seven and
even ten years, depending on the specific
'message' or ritualistic underpinnings. They
include the various carnivals, traditional music
and folk dance, wrestling, FESTAC, fishing and
yam festivals, the war canoes and Boat Regatta of
the Ijaws. These cultural festivals are specific and
at special periods that are set aside for their
celebration, especially of religious feasts,
organized series of events and performances
usually in one location. They are therefore,
cultivation of nature and celebration of history
and also the very tools for the promotion of peace
and unity among certain people. They are the
right platforms and channels for the appreciation,
revivals, sustainability, propagation, promotion
and protection of our rich cultural values.
Tourism sector contributes maximally to the
national economy as a major export earner like
the petroleum and the agricultural sectors of the
economy. This is to be achieved through the
appraisal of the tourism resources of the country
and the combination of both natural and human
capacities to transform the industry into a job
creating and foreign exchange earner that will
meet the socio-economic wellbeing of the nation
at large (Munzali, 2011).
Several cultural festivals (social and religious,
including folk tales and dance) in every state of
the federation, is a strong motivator to the use of
eco-cultural tourism to generate wealth, create
employment and promote sustainable peace and
development, if well-coordinated and packaged.
Already, cultural festivals (for example, the Eyo
festival of Lagos, the Dubai festival of Katsina,
the Argungu Fishing festival in Kogi State, the
traditional wrestling and dance festivals of the
Ijaws of the Niger Delta, etc.) are well
appreciated and accepted by all ages of Nigerians
and even foreigners. Both the print and electronic
media especially, the television stations are doing
a lot in showcasing these festivals especially,
5
local wrestling, traditional music and dance to
entertain, educate and inform both local and
international viewers and listeners (Ukpere and
Wabah, 2018).
Along the same line, Munzali (2011), indicated
that, tourism industry's various sectors are yet to
have adequate, quality and standard
development efforts including the building of its
capacity in the areas of natural resource of the
national parks, game reserves, beaches, plateau,
forests and other natural spots; transport (either
air, land and water); the accommodation with
hotel, hostel, shared apartment, guest houses,
camps, etc.); the catering services (i.e.
Restaurants, Cafes, fast food shops clubs, bars,
etc.); entertainment (i.e. museums, cultural
shows, night clubs, drama and dances); souvenir
providing works of carvings, weavings,
sculptures and various art works, managers and
operators of attractions i.e. parks and events i.e.
conferences, fairs, exhibitions, festivities
among others.
Ukpere and Wabah (2018), indicated that, the
geo-spatial alignment of museum/monuments,
historical sites/tourists centres and
artefacts/cultural festivals, is very crucial;
because they are the driving force for
sustainable eco-cultural tourism business in
Nigeria (Mowforth, et. al., 1998). However, one
is worried that till now, Nigeria is yet to come to
the limelight in terms of real investments on eco-
cultural tourism. Till now, there is yet to be a
clearly defined road map for tourism
development. Most of our museums and
historical sites are either under lock and key, or
poorly managed and underutilized or has
completely gone moribund. Also, our cultural
festivals, folk and dance are fast eroding away
with no sign of immediate relief.
It is understandable that, because tourism is not
 Tropical Built Environment Journal (TBEJ) Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021
fully developed in Nigeria, the people, even the
managers of the industry are not able to classify the
divisions that make up the tourism sectors.
According to Ukpere and Wabah (2018), eco-
cultural tourism is sometimes used
interchangeably with cultural heritage tourism. It
is the economics of our cultural heritage that can
be turned into haven of tourists' attraction as a
vibrant economic venture, in other words, eco-
cultural tourism is tourism based on the cultural
environment and which take into account, the
economic and social viability of such enterprise to
boost social integration, national revenue and
employment generation. The NWHD (1991) cited
in Adewale (2012) defined “cultural heritage
tourism as travel concern with experience cultural
environments including landscapes, the visual and
performing arts, museums and special lifestyles,
values, traditions and events”. Thus, cultural
tourism in this paper is tourism involving
museums, historical sites, monuments, cultural
festivals and the likes.
Ukpere and Wabah (2018), further stated that, in
its meaning, a 'museum' is a building in which
certain objects of historical, scientific, artistic or
cultural interest are stored and exhibited for
posterity. The International Council for Museums
(ICOM) in 1951 defined museum “as any
permanent institution that conserve and displays
for the purpose of study, education and enjoyment,
a collection of objects of cultural and scientific
significance” (Navgri, 1980). By 1074, ICOM
modified its definition of museum as a non-profit
making permanent institution, for the services
society and its development. And that a museum's
primary role is to acquire, conserve, researches,
communicates and exhibits for purpose of study,
education and enjoyment, and to provide material
evidence of man's culture and his environment.
Though, ICOM traditionally prescribe museums
to be non-profit making however, for the benefit of
posterity, efficient management and continuity of
ideas, museums should be economically buoyant
and should be seen as a big enterprise. This is
because, since it renders services, these services
6
should be paid for by the consumers of such
services. This is the only way to boost quality
service delivery and solve the problem of under
funding and under-utilization. It is the modern
view of museums (Adewale, 2012; Adebayo,
2009).
As indicated by ICOM above, that museums are
non-profit making and as a result, interest in
museums and tourism in Nigeria is therefore
lacking as they are not attractive to the youths.
However, for the interest in development in the
Ohaneze Ndigbo youth and the preservation of
the Igbo people's culture and tradition, there is
need for Ohanaeze Ndigbo youth centre and
along the same line, rejuvenation of interest in
tourism and museum activities in and around
Enugu.
The Aim of the Study
The primary aim of this study is to bring and
create awareness on the need to establish and
build a well deserving Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth
Centre for the interest of the youths of the
Ohaneze Idigbo, for their future growth,
development, historical preservation and
archival needs of the Igbo people as a whole.
Research Method
This paper investigated and documented the
history and none preservation of Ndigbo history
and tradition because of inappropriate museum
centers in southeast region as a result, adopted
content base analysis that laid emphasized on
the opinions of previous studies by different
authors in the area of research. Qualitative
research method was used and it investigates the
why and how of decision making, not just what,
where, when, or "who" (Qualitative research,
2015). The source of data involved both primary
and secondary sources.
 Architecture, Tourism and Housing: Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center for Culture Edification
Findings
The Nigerian economy is lacking, lacking in
many areas especially, in eco-cultural tourism
resulting in sever unemployment of the people
and foreign exchange earnings. According to
Munzali (2011), tourism in Nigeria is still in its
infancy considering the large accumulation of
resources which are yet untapped and the
institutional structure which is yet to be regulated
to compete favourably with other fast growing
tourism destinations. Successive governments in
Nigeria have tried in their very best to put the
industry in the national economic map, but the
sector could not meet up with the exclusive listing.
Even though rich in ecotourism and business
tourism potentials and constrained by figurative
and factual analysis to plan development, the
political will and legislation are far from
regulating the industry to keep abreast with both
the national tourism policy and master plan
implementation program in line with the United
Nations Framework on sustainable tourism
development efforts.
For the tourism industry as a sector of the Nigerian
economy, it is not in dispute that it has abundance
of resources that can diversified to transform the
socio-economic lives of the populace yet, the
sector's performance is nowhere in tune with
turning the economy into a foreign exchange
earner. The country is mono-economy based in
petroleum oil generating over 80% of the nation's
foreign exchange and employing very low labor
force as the agricultural sector which is the
predominant occupation of Nigerians (Munzali,
2011).
The need for museums and tourism development
in Nigeria are not new, but the Nigerian civil war
brought the need for unity and the preservation of
the culture of different ethnic groups in Nigeria. In
the interest of unity and preservation of the culture
and tradition of the people, the Federal
Department of Antiquities in 1971, established a
7
museum office in Enugu. The office was
offered a temporary accommodation by the
National Archives and in1975; the East Central
State government allocated a building to the
museum along Ogui Road Enugu. After the
devastating effects of the 1967-70 civil war, the
then Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.)
in an attempt to establish the spirit of
reconciliation, unity and harmony among the
heterogeneous cultural groups in Nigeria, saw
the museum as one of the instruments that could
be used to unite the various people of Nigeria.
Hence in 1974, he came up with the concept of
“Museums of National Unity” to be located in
the capitals of the four geopolitical zones of the
federation – Sokoto, Maidugiri, Ibadan and
Enugu. A new site had to be identified as the
Ogui Road office was grossly inadequate
(Uzogara, 2011).
In 1975, a suitable and strategically located
piece of land covering an area of about 13.628
acres where the museum now stands was
allocated to the defunct Federal Department of
Antiquities by late Brigadier Ochefu, then a
Colonel and the Military Governor of the then
East Central State. The museum is located
along Abakiliki Road between the Post Primary
School's Management Board/ Old Government
Lodge and the 82 Division of the Nigerian
Army besides the Zoological garden in Enugu
(plates 1, 2) (Uzogara, 2011).
Plate 1: Access to the National Museum, Enugu
Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 25, 2021)
 Tropical Built Environment Journal (TBEJ) Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021

Festival of Black and African Arts and

Plate 2: The entrance to the Auditorium
Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 25, 2021)
The population of Nigeria is multi- cultural and
consists of over 350 ethnic groups. The people
have many cultural similarities which this unity
museum highlights as unifying forces that bind
the Nigerian nation, and the goal of the Federal
government.
Civilization (FESTAC) in 1977. This exhibition
has had such a tremendous impact on the world
that the demands for it can hardly be met. It has
been shown in the United States of America,
and Canada; and in Oslo, Stockholm, London,
Hildesheim, Florence, Paris, Zurich,
Leningrad, Sofia and Berlin. In 1989, following
pressure from the Japanese Government; the
exhibition package was reconstituted under a
different title, "The Ancient Art of Nigeria" for
display at the Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo
between August and December 1989.The
Museum equally houses a pictorial exhibition
built around the limousine in which General
Murtala Muhammad was assassinated. It also
houses a crafts village on the premises to give
the effect of a "living Museum" where
traditional craftsmen and women can be
observed in their different trades; and a
Museum kitchen where visitors can savour
traditional Nigerian Cuisine.

Museum development is not a recent phenomenon

in the history of Nigeria. The National Museum,
Onikan Lagos was designed and built by the
colonial government in March 1957 and has the
finest collection of Nigerian Antiquities and
ethnographic materials in the world (plate 3). The
museum is located on the Lagos Island, bounded
on the North by Tafawa Belawa Square and to the
South by the Yoruba Tennis Club and exhibits the
work of Ben Enwonwu' s masterpiece Anyanwu
(Awakening), a sculpture that adorns the front
façade of the museum and welcomes visitors to its
extraordinary collection of artworks (Adio, 2011).

The collection presents a kaleidoscope of the
nation in its diversity in art and crafts. It houses the
wildly-travelled and world-acclaimed exhibition
entitled "Treasures of Ancient Nigeria; Legacy of
Two Thousand Years" (Ekpo,1997) which re-
enacts the diverse chronological artistic tradition
of Nigeria on the occasion of the Second World
Plate 3: The main entrance to the Museum
Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 25, 2021)
According to Ukpere and Wabah (2018),
historical sites are specially designated sites or
locations with very keen historical interest. For
posterity, these sites are specially selected,

8
 Architecture, Tourism and Housing: Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center for Culture Edification

preserved and conserved in order to keep us in concealed the Biafran war planes and heavy
touch with our past, present and future. They are artillery. These sites are now, tourist attractions
therefore the very legendaries of the migration, (plates 1 to 4) (Obiadi, Ezezue and Uduak,
settlements, economic and cultural struggles and 2020).
survival of our historical past which is needed in
order to keep us in the right track. They can be
turned into very good tourists' centers and an
impetus to viable eco-cultural tourism business as
seen in China, Brazil, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia
and Israel (Adewale, 2012).

In Nigeria, many historical sites have been

preserved for posterity. Included in that, is the late
Chief, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu's
bunkers that resulted from the Nigerian civil war
in 1967. The Nigerian civil war, commonly
referred to as the Biafran War, was fought
between 6th of July, 1967 to 15th of January,
1970. The purpose of the war, was to quell the
secession of Biafra from the original Nigeria.
Biafra war a part of Nigeria covering the old
Eastern Region of the country. This part has now
been divided into the South-South and South East
regions. The leadership of the old eastern region Plate 4: Late Chief, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu
Ojukwu bunker's gate, Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria
came to the conclusion that they just could not Source: https://thenationonlineng.net/visit-ojukwus-
continue to coexist with the rest of Nigeria, bunker/ Retrieved April 11, 2019.
especially because of the ill treatment meted out
to people of the old Eastern Region in the
Northern part of Nigeria by Northern military
men, especially during the countercoup of June
1967, in which many eastern military officers
were murdered (History of Nigeria Civil War,
2019).

During the civil war, the Biafran soldiers locally

manufactured their arms and ammunitions used
in defending their territory. The engineering
involved in the production of the weapons were
challenging to both the federal side and
international bodies, as a result, needed to be
preserved. The leadership of Biafra had Plate 5: Late Chief, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu
undiscovered underground bunkers in different Ojukwu bunker's entrance, Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria
areas of Biafra land that were, their hideaways, Source: https://thenationonlineng.net/visit-ojukwus-
bunker/ Retrieved April 11, 2019.

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 Tropical Built Environment Journal (TBEJ) Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021
Plate 6: Late Chief, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
bunker's war planes storage facility, Uli, Anambra State,
Nigeria.
Source: https://thenationonlineng.net/visit-ojukwus-
bunker/ Retrieved April 11, 2019.
Plate 7: Late Chief, Chukwuemeka Odumuegwu
Ojukwu's Bunker, located at Late Chief Michael Okpara
Avenue, Umuahia, Abia. View of the bunker, showing the
slop into the bunker and the pictures of the Biafrian
heroes.
Source: https:/hotels.ng/places/museum//341-ojukwu-
bunker. Retrieved: April 11, 2019.
10
Plate 8: Late Chief, Chukwuemeka Odumuegwu
Ojukwu's Bunker, located at Late Chief Michael
Okpara Avenue, Umuahia, Abia.
Source: https:/hotels.ng/places/museum//341-ojukwu-
bunker Retrieved: April 11, 2019.
Plate 9: Exhibition area at late Chief, Chukwuemeka
Odumuegwu Ojukwu's Bunker, located at Late Chief
Michael Okpara Avenue, Umuahia, Abia.
Source: https:/hotels.ng/places/museum//341-ojukwu-
bunker. Retrieved: April 11, 2019
 Architecture, Tourism and Housing: Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center for Culture Edification

Ojukwu bunker is an unsung wonder of the world,

located at Okpara avenue, off government house,
Umuahia, Abia State and built in 1968. In front of
the bunker is just a normal building, an upstairs,
but there is more to the building than meets the
eye. The bunker lies underground. Underneath the
ground is a buried massive structure. It was
constructed during the Nigerian Civil war with a
meteoric speed of just three months by two
Biafran great minds, an engineer and architect.
The bunker has facilities like offices for the late
Plate 11: Stairway into the bunker
Biafran General Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 28, 2021).
Ojukwu and his secretary. It also has a room,
toilet, kitchen and a store for the late leader. Also, Plate 12 shows the museum gallery, plate 13
shows the exterior walkway leading to the lobby
inside the bunker is a conference room for the of the bunker while plate 14 shows the exterior
meeting of Biafran leaders of thought and a safe of the museum building and particularly, the
for keeping of sensitive documents. There is a VIP bunker's escape route with indicator pipes.
cell inside the bunker to detain prisoners of war
and plate 10 the building while plate 11 shows
staircase into the bunker.

Plate 12: Interior view showing the gallery

Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 28, 2021

Plate 10: Late Dr Micheal Okpara's

Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 28, 2021).

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 Tropical Built Environment Journal (TBEJ) Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021
Plate 13: Exterior view showing the lobby leading to the
bunker.
Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 28, 2021).
Plate 14: The pipes above the ground and escape exit
from the bunker
Source: Ihekuna, (retrieved March 28, 2021).
Recommendations
The primary aim of museums and tourism
development in Nigeria after the Nigerian civil
war, was to foster unity and the preservation of the
culture of different ethnic groups in Nigeria.
12
Along the same line, came the establishment of
Ohaneze Ndigbo. To sustain the longevity of
Ohaneze Ndigbo and preserve the culture of
Ndigbo, this paper recommends the
establishment and development of a youth
centre for the group. With the introduction and
establishment of this centre in Enugu, tourism
would be promoted, employment opportunities
and income potentials of the people in the city
would be greatly improved.
Most importantly, the Biafran war creations,
equipment, records and collectables would be
preserved for future generations and upholding
the aim of the Ohaneze Ndigbo. The centre
would be a research and education centre for all
and a place where cultural events can take place
making it an eco-cultural tourism business
centre that will help to foster peace, unity and
development of the people. The poor
impression and attitude to museums and
tourism by Nigerians need to change and the
people should be educated on the significance
of these centres in the human capital
development. For this to effectively work, the
government along with others, need to establish
and develop good management and
maintenance culture of the museum and tourist
centres so that the interest of the people will be
rejuvenated. Since it was the interest of the
Nigerian government to promote unity and
peace after the Nigerian civil war, proper
attention should be paid to the channels leading
to those goals. The existing museums and their
infrastructure are in total disrepair and needing
attention. The government should endeavour
and allocate adequate funding for the
infrastructure supporting tourism in Nigeria,
roads, poor electricity supply, water supply and
quality must be give utmost attention. Well
qualified and experience personnel in museum
and tourism industry hired to manage the
centres. The offices for marketing and
promotion of the industry strategically located
to take advantage of the urban population,
visitors in the country and international
museums.
 Architecture, Tourism and Housing: Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Center for Culture Edification
Conclusion
As noted by Ukpere and Wabah (2018), a variable
and sustainable eco-cultural tourism business
through the use of museums, historical sites and
cultural festivals, is a veritable tool for the logical
prosecution of the war against unemployment,
youth restiveness and security challenges;
poverty; high income disparity; unfavourable
balance of trade and payments; rural
inaccessibility and underdevelopment (Adewale,
2012; Adebayo, 2009; Mowfort & Munt, 1998;
Britton, 1982). Along the same line, for the youths
of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo to keep growing with the
understanding of their heritage and traditional
values, a centre needs to be established and build
for them. They should be encouraged to pay
attention to their historical past through
preservation of their records and activities in a
museum setup.
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